The effect of social reinforcement on the performance of 1-year-old children

Abstract

The effect of social reinforcement on the rate of occurrence of a panel-pushing response was investigated with 34 1-year-old children. Panel pushing was recorded in a 2-min basal period, a 4-min conditioning period, and a 2-min extinction period. During conditioning, social approval was contingent on panel pushing for half the Ss; for the other half, it was not. Of Ss with a low basal rate, those who received contingent social approval showed a greater increase in panel pushing during conditioning and a higher level of performance in extinction than did those who received noncontingent approval. Social reinforcement had no appreciable effect on the performance of Ss with a high basal rate, most of whom were boys. When basal rate alone was considered for all Ss, boys were found to be more active panel pushers than girls.